A Weekend in Marrakech

Surrounded by the mountains of the Atlas, Marrakech, former imperial and today cultural city is an ideal destination for a long weekend. Spring and fall seasons are ideal for discovering the coated city of abundant nature. You will for sure love the multiple charms the ochre city has to offer: let wander you in the alleys of the medina, the historic district of the city, all more colorful and intoxicating, where fleet a sweet scent of spices, and admire the work of artisans in the lively souks.

Many historical and cultural sites are all witnesses of the wealth of material and immaterial heritage contained in the Morocco. The Place Jemaa El Fna, classified by UNESCO in 2001, is the emblematic place.

In the heart of the medina, the Place Jemaa el Fna is the essential place of the city.

Spaces of meetings, sharing of ancestral cultures, Marrakesh, Moroccan and travelers from around the world flock to immerse themselves in this unique atmosphere. Day and night, the Place is bustling: charmers of snakes, dancersgnaouas recognizable to their headgear adorned with seashells, traditional dancers, storytellers, and other troublemakers. And say some taverns installed at night, offering you a variety of Moroccan dishes, leaving you surprise by some!

Not far from here is the Koutoubia mosque, with its imposing Almohad minaret. From a height of 70 meters, beautifully decorated in a Moorish style, it dominates the city, like a lighthouse. Open to all, pushed together gardens will offer you a stop refreshing and relaxing.

You are to attack to get started you exploring the souks. Through his infinite maze of shaded lanes, you will receive the multitude of small shops and craft workshops, intoxicated by the scent of spices. Hard to resist in front of lights in copper baskets Wicker, slippers leather, embroidered clothing, silver, musical instruments, trays hammered, the list is long and not exhaustive. A glass of tea shared with traders will be an opportunity to glimpse the Moroccan hospitality.

It is now time to admire the inside of the houses contained in the narrow streets of the medina. One of the most splendid is undoubtedly the Bahia Palace, located in the Mellah, South of historic city. The centerpiece of the Moroccan architecture, it covers 8000 m2, and is the receptacle of the know-how of the craftsmen. Around the central garden, planted with orange, you can admire in the parts confortabe ceilings painted and gilded, wooden marquetry as fine as lace, like stucco, and zelliges bordering the fountains.

You have acquired a taste for the tranquility of the gardens which make up the wealth the city since its establishment? Do not miss the Majorelle garden. Certainly much more recent, is no less a place apart, where multiple floral varieties thrive, beautifully enhanced by colorful built elements. The main building of a specially created dynamic blue for her, named after the french painter who made his studio in the 1920s: Jacques Majorelle. Bought in 1980 by Yves Saint-Laurent, it emanates from the garden a feeling of serenity, reinforced by the pools scattered in space. A Museum of Berber culture, of a scenography remarkable will complete your discovery of Moroccan culture rich of the peoples who have composed it.